Barnes, Mark Scott

Pricing Model for Public Health Services

The purpose of this project is to organize a collaborative effort within the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to plan and implement a time and cost-effective pricing model for the billing of services provided to clients to outside entities.

Blenderman, Rebecca

(& Steve Davis)

Virginia Emergency Preparedness Exercise Health Specific Reference Guide for Health Departments

The purpose of this project is to provide local health departments within Virginia consistent guidance in the planning and execution of local emergency preparedness exercises through the development of a Health Specific Exercise Resource Guide.

Blevins, Bethiny

Expanding Preventive Healthcare for Children in Meigs County through Community Partnership

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the importance of preventative health care and increase the number of children that obtain a preventative health screening or well-child exam (EPSDT) in Meigs County.  Originally, I planned to create a sub-committee of the Meigs County Health Council to be devoted solely to awareness and improving the screening rate for Meigs County.  However, after proposing the idea to the Meigs County Health Council, all council members were interested in the issue and wanted to participate in the project.  Rather than creating a sub-committee, I worked with the Meigs County Health Council to complete the project.

Brewington, Susan

(with Amy Howell)

Implementation & Evaluation of the Local Public Health Performance Standards Assessment in Arkansas

The purpose of this project is to explore the process of leading Local Public Health Performance Standards Assessment (LPHPSA) at the COUNTY level in Arkansas  (Arkansas will be first to take on this task) and a follow up evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of the assessment tool.

Byrnside, Penny

(with Sherry Rockwell)

Developing and Enhancing an Inclusive Rural Trauma and Emergency Care System

The purpose of this project is to continue the development and enhancement of system accountability within the West Virginia Trauma and Emergency Care System.  Sharing information, providing on-going education and maintaining a collaborative environment will provide the foundation for the project.  Mechanisms for the standardization of the following will accomplished: a) Data Collection, b) Trauma Facility Designation, c) Performance Improvement at the local, regional and state levels, and d) Injury Prevention.

Carter, Lou-Ann

Enhancing and Increasing Infrastructure for Injury Prevention in South Carolina

The purpose of this project is to increase the capacity of and enhance the existing infrastructure in South Carolina’s Injury Prevention & Control Program to effectively address the prevention of injuries and violence; and to collect, analyze, and use injury data.

Cilenti, Dorothy

Creating a Multi-County Public Health Agency

The purpose of this project is to outline the actions needed to merge two local county health departments into one multi-county public health agency.

Crewz, Roy

“Use Your Brain…… Protect Your Head” Helmet Safety Awareness Program

The purpose of this project is to increase public awareness regarding the use of (safety) helmets, which provide protection to individuals participating in activities such as bicycling, rollerblading, and skateboarding.

Davis, Steve

(& Rebecca Blenderman

Virginia Emergency Preparedness Exercise Health Specific Reference Guide for Health Departments

The purpose of this project is to provide local health departments within Virginia consistent guidance in the planning and execution of local emergency preparedness exercises through the development of a Health Specific Exercise Resource Guide.

Douglas, Nathan

Development of a Self-Sustaining, Online Staff Development Presence for Public Health in West Virginia

The purpose of this project is to explore the available opportunities for creation of online training for public health personnel in West Virginia.  The project seeks to establish a training program that is self-sustaining to the largest degree possible; that is accessible to all public health personnel in the state, and is also accessible to our customers in the public; and provides content that is approved for required continuing education credit hours.

Dreyzehner, John

CareSpark:  Health Improvement through the Collaborative and Wise Use of Health Information

The purpose of this project is to foster a broad based grass roots effort to improve health in a 17 county central Appalachian regional healthcare market in Northeast Tennessee and Far Southwest Virginia. This is accomplished through the creation and support of a non-profit collaborative multi-stakeholder regional health information organization (RHIO) called CareSpark.  Founded in 2005, CareSpark’s mission is to improve the health of people in our region through the collaborative and wise use of health information.

Dukes, Luke

Impact of Changes in the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate on South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), Region 5

The purpose of this project is to study the dollar impact of the reduction in the Medicaid rates on SCDHEC, Region 5, and to determine the best way for the region to downsize while continuing to provide needed public health services. 

Ellison, LuAnne

Public Health Preparedness Competency Model for South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control Employees

The purpose of this project is to define competencies needed for DHEC staff to effectively perform job duties related to a public health emergency event.  The model will provide a basis for developing training goals and measures of performance in order to meet the critical capacities defined in CDC grant guidelines and the National Response Plan.  It will support a systematic approach to the selection of competency-based training for emergency preparedness staff development.

Fechtel, Mary

Staff Development: Eliminating Inconsistencies and Developing Professionalism

The purpose of this project is to direct and lead the Bureau of Health Facilities and Services Development (the Bureau) of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (the Department) in the development of an Educational Enhancement Guide (Guide).  While assuring equal educational opportunity for all staff, the Guide will serve a two-fold purpose: 1) to eliminate inconsistencies in interpretations and application of State Regulations and the SC Health Plan by staff;  2) assure development of staff as public health professionals and experts in their field (Planning and Certificate of Need). 

Freeman, Chris

Tennessee’s Youth:  BMI’s and Beyond-A MCRO Approach

The purpose of this project started with one goal in mind; Conducting Body Mass Index’s (BMI’s) in the school systems within the Mid-Cumberland Region.  The initial funding to purchase supplies to conduct the BMI screenings was provided by the WIC/Nutrition Division of the Department of Health. Fifty stadio-meters, blood pressure cuffs, and weight scales were purchased to assist in completing this task.  An administrative approach to this issue became the core focus.  This approach would help in the leadership and communication skills necessary for this project to be successful and ongoing, even after the SEPHLI project date is long past due. When one considers the number of the community partners, government officials, and community members that are required to participate, in order to make such a project successful, a coordination of services, written plans, policies, and activities have to be facilitated.   Thus this leadership project is about putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Garrett, Dana

Rutherford County School Age Children’s BMI Initiative

The purpose of this project is to collect data from all the Rutherford County school age children regarding their height, weight, BMI and Blood Pressure.  This large collaborative includes the Murfreesboro city school board, the Williamson county school board, the Tennessee department of health, the YMCA, Chris Freeman with the “Better Health It’s About Time”, the Rutherford County Wellness Council, the Murfreesboro School wellness council, Becky Brumley with the Williamson county health department, the city mayor, the Local university nursing students MTSU, the Murfreesboro City School Head School Nurse Andrea Cain, RN, my student intern Amanda Scales, and a state of Tennessee epidemiologist.

Grimmet, Angela

Patient Literacy in Public Health

The purpose of this project is to develop an overview defining health literacy, identify problems associated with low health literacy, understand the role of health literacy in public health, and to offer suggestions for improving patient literacy in public health.   

Heidari, Khosrow

Tri-States Stroke Network GIS Application

The purpose of this project is to develop a GIS application that enables stroke researchers to study ecological risk factors contributing to the Tri-states’ area stroke mortality and morbidity. There has been very little effort invested in developing a GIS application for the Tri-States area. Two major challenges need to be overcome for this project to succeed. First, we must convince the leaders and decision makers in this area of the feasibility of developing such an online application. The second formidable challenge is to develop the project online so that information can be obtained across political boundaries with all data comparability, standards, format, confidentiality, and resources issues.

Howell, Amy

(with Susan Brewington)

Implementation & Evaluation of the Local Public Health Performance Standards Assessment in Arkansas

The purpose of this project is to explore the process of leading Local Public Health Performance Standards Assessment (LPHPSA) at the COUNTY level in Arkansas  (Arkansas will be first to take on this task) and a follow up evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of the assessment tool.

Knight, Karen

Central Cancer Registry Workforce Development

The purpose of this project is to build and strengthen CCR capacity to meet its goals through better recruitment and retention of both statisticians and cancer registrars.  The Central Cancer Registry has been unable to compete with outside industries in statistics and cancer registration with salaries and career advancement opportunities.  This project will address issues for both types of positions through collaboration with Human Resources, professional organizations and colleagues with similar goals.

Maillard, Jean-Marie

Closing the loop in disease surveillance activities: Providing feedback where it matters most –locally

The purpose of this project is to send feedback resulting from the analysis and interpretation of disease surveillance data to public health officials charged at the local level with preventing the spread of communicable diseases.  Too often, all the attention and effort involved in disease surveillance activities is concentrated on field data collection, followed by quality control and analysis.  Although these are all fundamental steps, disseminating the findings is another important aspect of a comprehensive system. 

McCabe, Becky

Implementation of a statewide emergency preparedness training program:  National Incident Management System (NIMS)

The purpose of this project is to develop and coordinate a training program for all employees of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).  Approximately 3,500 employees will receive training in the “National Incident Management System” and the “Incident Command System” (ICS).  This is a federal grant requirement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McCumbee, Janet

Miles Of Smiles (Mobile Dental Unit)

The purpose of this project is to start a mobile dental unit to serve children eligible for Medicaid or Health Choice and those who are uninsured. This dental clinic will be a tractor trailer rig with three dental chairs that will be parked at elementary schools in New Hanover and Brunswick Counties. The unit is being built now, financed by grant funds, and will be ready in April. Under my leadership, the unit must become self sufficient financially during the 06-07 fiscal year.

Patrick, Renne

Effective Management:  Connecting the Silos

National preparedness efforts are funded through several branches of the Department of Human Services.  This naturally leads to the “silo mentality” of systems development.  Not only are these silos a reality across state agencies but are often seen within a single agency.  This project identifies, defines and connects silos in the Preparedness and Response Branch of the Arkansas Division of Health (DOH). 

Pavletic, Denise

State Health Department Accreditation

The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a State Health Department Accreditation process for North Carolina.  A team of 20 people representing a wide range of public health arenas will provide input into this process.  The accreditation process will utilize a revised version of the National Performance Standards as outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  The revisions include changing the National Standards to apply to the State Health Department versus their original intent of applying to the public health system as a whole. Other revisions include changing the spectrum of compliance associated with each response to a met/not met system in lieu of the four-point scale, and adding a section on “sources of evidence” to show compliance with each standard. 

Powell, Tim

An assessment of applied epidemiology competencies within the Virginia Department of Health epidemiology workforce

The purpose of this project is to assess the baseline level of core applied epidemiology competencies possessed by epidemiologists employed by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).  This assessment will be accomplished through the development of a survey tool, with the participation of stakeholders, and implementation of that tool to epidemiologists in all of VDH. 

Priebe, Mischelle

Development of a Health Marketing Branch within Arkansas Division of Health

The purpose of this project is to collaborate with other agencies and divisions who have an interest in health information and enable the Department of Health and Human Services to improve social marketing for public health issues.   Other agencies include:  The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), and the College of Public Health (COPH).  During the development of the Health Marketing Branch, I hope to strengthen communication skills and confirm that health marketing involves creativity, communication, sharing of data and using customer-centered and science-based strategies.

Riddle, Diana

Community Planning for Pandemic Influenza

The purpose of this project is to:

• Increase the awareness of the key stakeholders and the community of pandemic influenza
• Increase the awareness of the key stakeholders of the county of the situation that may occur in the event of a pandemic health threat, in this case, influenza.
• Promote the communication and planning capabilities of the community.
• Development of a workable plan for the community and for each of their individual organizations.

Roberts, Wanda

Orientation Manual For West Tennessee Community Services positions

The purpose of this project is to develop a manual that will serve as a standard for all community services staff to follow.  The manual will be developed with the help of current community services staff while ensuring it meets the requirements of new employees as well as the director of Community Services.  

Rockwell, Sherry

(with Penny Byrnside)

Developing and Enhancing an Inclusive Rural Trauma and Emergency Care System

The purpose of this project is to continue the development and enhancement of system accountability within the West Virginia Trauma and Emergency Care System.  Sharing information, providing on-going education and maintaining a collaborative environment will provide the foundation for the project.  Mechanisms for the standardization of the following will accomplished: a) Data Collection, b) Trauma Facility Designation, c) Performance Improvement at the local, regional and state levels, and d) Injury Prevention.

Rust, David

Burke County Indigent Primary Care Clinic

The title of my project proposal is Burke County Indigent Primary Care Clinic.  As director of the Burke County Health Department, it is my duty to assess, address and assure the health care needs of the citizens of Burke County.  Past health assessments have indicated the lack of primary care for the uninsured persons in Burke County.  These persons are forced to live without available care for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.  Health care is comprised of visits to the emergency rooms at our hospitals when necessary.  I propose for my project to be to gather statistics on the actual need for a safety net clinic in Burke County, to evaluate existing resources available in and outside the county to address this need, and to start the process of establishing a primary care clinic for needy Burke County citizens.

Smith, Jeffrey

Developing a Statewide Training Coalition to Address Utility Operator Problems

The purpose of this project is to bring together the key players within several state and federal organizations, in an effort to reorganize and redevelop the current state job training program for Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and Waste-Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) operators. Efforts have been made to develop a comprehensive training and certification program for our WTP and WWTP operators and this projects serves to create a better trained, more professional operators who are dedicated to a healthy environment, by providing safe drinking water and helping to minimize the entrance of waste into our streams.

Stark, Ron

Developing a System to build Grants Management Skills for Arkansas Division of Health Colleagues

The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a methodology for building competencies in fiscal management of federal grants among the public health workforce in the Arkansas Division of Health.  The state public health agency often hires public health professionals with limited experience in managing grants.  There is currently no training mechanism to assure that these individuals are exposed to information to enable them to competently carry out their fiscal functions.

Swift, Jamie

Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness—How Prepared is the Public Health Nurse Workforce in Northeast Tennessee?

The purpose of this project is to assess the knowledge level of public health nurses in the Northeast Tennessee Region regarding the core competencies of bioterrorism and emergency readiness for public health workers.  The data will be analyzed and used to develop a plan to provide instruction to the workforce in areas of need. 

Thomas, Anne

Dare County Substance Abuse Needs Assessment and Community Plan

The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment and to develop a comprehensive prevention/intervention/treatment plan to address the pervasive and persistent problem of substance abuse in Dare County, North Carolina.  In leading this effort I partnered with the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (NC Division of MHDDSAS) for their expertise and to develop a plan that would support the Division’s reform efforts that emphasize building local community continuums of care for addiction.  Community members and key stakeholders were involved in the planning process to ensure that the plan was tailored to meet the needs of the Dare County community and to sustain support and buy-in for the project. The result of the this project is development of a demonstration project for providing comprehensive substance abuse services in a rural community.

Vorlick, Doris

Walker, Pat

Capacity Building for Technical Staff: Career Development For More than Just Managers/Opportunities for Technical Staff

The purpose of this project is to expand and improve the S. C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s - Office of Environmental Quality Control (EQC) current “capacity building” effort for managers to include mid and upper level technical staff.   A plan will be developed to: 1) provide capacity building and cross-training opportunities for technical staff; 2) establish a process for selecting capacity building coaches; and 3) provide a process for follow-up “counseling” for technical staff participating in capacity building efforts when not selected for promotional opportunities.

Wilson, Buck

Improving Orientation and Developing a Mentoring Program for New and Interim Health Directors in North Carolina

The purpose of the project is to create a new system for local health director orientation, training, and mentoring. The orientation system will be for all new and interim health directors.  Recently, more turnover has occurred among health directors due to the graying of the workforce in North Carolina. The orientation system will include interaction with and advice about Board of Health members, County Commissioners, County Managers, Financial Directors, as well as otherswe work closely with on a day-to-day basis.

Xia, Dongxiang

Strengthening Collaboration of Laboratories in Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response System (HRMMRS) in Virginia

The purpose of this project is to facilitate the implementation of Eastern Region Laboratory Network (ERLN), a subcommittee of the Healthcare Committee in HRMMRS in Virginia, to assure policies, procedures and protocols are in place for emergency preparedness and response. The ERLN involves various laboratories which practice in Hampton Roads. The ERLN also need to interact with a multidisciplinary team in the system. The project will provide an opportunity for the scholar to strengthen leadership skills in efficient communication, proper negotiation and complex system management.